Elmsford, NY (January 14, 2014) — Hall of Famer Fred Couples  will receive one of golf’s most prestigious honors – the Gold Tee Award – from the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association at the 63rd National Awards Dinner on Monday, June 23 at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown, New York.

The Gold Tee is the MGWA’s highest honor – awarded to an individual whose career achievements exemplify the best spirit and traditions of the sport of golf.

One of the most popular golfers worldwide for three decades, Couples joins select company. The list of past Gold Tee recipients reads like a “Who’s Who of Golf” – Bobby Jones, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Nancy Lopez, Tom Watson, Annika Sorenstam, and Phil Mickelson.

Couples, 1992 Masters champion, won 15 times on the PGA TOUR including two Players Championships.

He recently captained the U.S. to its third straight Presidents Cup victory.  A two-time PGA TOUR Player of the Year, Couples played on five consecutive Ryder Cup teams (1989-97). 

Still a force on the Champions Tour, Couples, 54, has also won two Senior majors, including the 2012 Senior (British) Open Championship.   Always known for his long drives, “Boom Boom” was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame last May.

“We are thrilled to honor an all-time fan favorite,” said MGWA President Bruce Beck. “Freddie’s a class act whose overall achievements rival anyone in his era.”

Since 1952, the MGWA has recognized the game’s greatest players, contributors, and organizations at its National Awards Dinner – the longest running and often the largest golf dinner in the U.S. each year.

The MGWA has produced a special video to celebrate six decades of the Dinner: https://vimeo.com/63849701

Long-time MGWA member Jim Nantz says, “There is no dinner in America that celebrates golf like this one.”

Golf’s leading organizations support the dinner – USGA, PGA of America, PGA TOUR, LPGA, MGA, MetLife, and Rolex.  The National Awards Dinner has raised over 1.5 million dollars for Caddie Scholarship programs in the metropolitan New York area; the MGA Foundation; and the Dave Marr Journalism Scholarship at Columbia University. 

For tickets or additional information, please contact Kate Keller at (914) 347-4653 or kate@metgolfwriters.org and visit www.metgolfwriters.org.